Page 3 of The Lies That Shatter
Melanie Whitlock is the perfect rich society woman. She’s married to one of the richest men in the UK—possibly even the world—and she’s well known within the high society circles in London. She runs the debutante programme, and has for years. She also regularly runs charity galas to raise money for as many causes as she can. Though, I’m not entirely sure yet whether she does it because she cares, or because it helps with her image.
To an outsider looking in, Mel’s life appears as perfect as her appearance. Her platinum-blonde hair is always styled into the perfect up-do, not a strand out of place, and her make-up is flawless. The dress she’s wearing, like all the clothes she owns, has a brand name on it, and a four-figure price tag.
She has a lithe figure that she maintains by regularly attending the gym with her personal trainer, and the Botox she has often has taken care of any wrinkles that should be on her face. I would even go as far as to guess that she’s probably had a boob job, as they are incredibly perky for a woman in her early fifties.
There’s no denying that Melanie Whitlock looks perfect, but that’s all on the surface. In the background, her life is a mess. Her father is dying, and he’s had to be moved into Mel’s home as she wasn’t happy with the care he was getting in his group home. She’s estranged from her daughter, Mia—who just so happens to be dating my brother, Kellan—and her husband, Mortimer, is my family’s nemesis.
Mortimer Whitlock is the reason I’m undercover, pretending to be interested in having an affair with Mel. She does a piss-poor job of hiding her extra-marital affairs, but given the fact it’s well known that Whitlock prefers his girls under the legal age, I’m not surprised she’s seeking comfort elsewhere.
It also gives me a very nice opportunity to go undercover and help our family bring down Mortimer and his illegal human trafficking and child abuse schemes once and for all.
I just wish I didn’t have to sell myself to do it.
“It’s no trouble at all. I can’t let a beautiful woman like yourself wander the streets alone at night. What kind of a gentleman would I be?” I ask, in my fake London accent—doing my best to hide any hint of my Irish lilt.
As I stand from the table, dropping some notes down to leave a tip for our server, I gently help Mel stand, before she lets go of my hands to straighten out her already perfect dress. It’s a nervous habit I’ve noticed over the last couple of dates. She is obsessed with looking perfectly put together, not even a wrinkle out of place.
She looks at the tip with a strange expression, and I worry I’ve not given enough, until she leans closer to explain. “Usually, in a place as nice as this, it looks better if you add the tip onto the bill and pay with your card, then nobody can see how much you’re tipping. People only tip in cash if they want to show off the extortionate amount they’re leaving. Just so you know for the future.”
Even though she says it with a small smile, I’ve never felt more stupid and out of place. I don’t often eat in posh restaurants, and never one like this, so of course I don’t know all the bloody idiotic rules. I may as well be wearing a sign that says ‘I’m poor’.
Mel politely excuses herself to go to the restroom before we leave, and I know when she returns, her make-up will have been touched up. She does this in between each course too, as her lipstick obviously fades every time she eats or drinks anything. I smile as I tell her I’ll meet her outside the restaurant, wondering what the hell is going on in her mind if she really thinks she needs to look perfect all of the time.
Mac doesn’t even need make-up to look perfect, I think, before shaking my head to get those thoughts out of my brain. I have no right to think about her at all. Despite knowing that, my mind doesn’t comply. In fact, she’s all I ever think about.
Distracting myself, I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket and shoot a message over to Kellan, keeping him updated, so he can monitor things if needed.
FINN
Kel, I’m walking her back to the house. Hopefully, tonight I will get inside. I will keep you updated.
As I imagined, it doesn’t take long for my brother to reply.
KELLAN
No worries. I will monitor the CCTV as much as I can. Stay safe. Don’t take any risks.
I snort as I read his reply, knowing full well that the last part of the text definitely did not come from Kellan. The part telling me to take no risks, that’s all Liam.
Even though we have only known that Kellan is our real brother for around a year, I’ve always seen him as family sincethe moment he came to live with us. He and Liam may as well have been twins, by each other’s side for life.
They are two sides of the same coin. While Liam is brooding and serious, Kellan is snappy and sarcastic. Liam is cool and calm at all times, whereas Kel can be a mess of anxiety and stress. But together they are fierce, and I am lucky to have them both watching my back.
FINN
That was totally Liam replying at the end, right?
KELLAN
Yeah…he’s a dad now, he worries so much more!
I shake my head as I read the message. It still freaks me out that my brothers have children. Hallie’s a law unto herself, and I think she’s a shoo-in for Evil Dictator when she’s older. Nate is only a couple of months old, so I can’t really tell what his personality is like yet, but he’s cute as hell when he’s cuddled up on my chest.
The thought of me having kids of my own one day crosses my mind, and my heart starts to race. I’m only twenty-seven, so life’s biological clock is hardly ticking loudly for me, but the thought of settling down and having children just seems so fucking far away. I guess when you have faked being married as many times as I have, the whole institution kind of loses all meaning.
I hear the unmistakable clacking of Mel’s Jimmy Choo’s leaving the restaurant, and I quickly delete the messages before shoving my phone back into my pocket. Looking up at the CCTV camera across the road—that is now aiming straight at me—I give Kel a little wink before turning to greet Mel.
In keeping with my gentlemanly act, I take hold of her hand, clasping our fingers together before shooting her my best cheesy grin. “Lead the way, lovely.”
